Sling Select vs The Competition: What you need to know
Sling Select vs The Competition: What you need to know
Sling’s Select package has an intriguing mix of channels at a starting price of just $20. Find out more about the package below!
It’s a little tough to compare Sling TV to the competition at times. The streamer does things very differently than most other live TV streaming services; its biggest channel plans max out at around 50 channels, and its most popular plans are less than $50 per month — far less than most streamers charge.
The trade-off of fewer channels for a lower price extends even further with Sling’s Select package, which only has 10 or so channels for a starting price of $20 per month. Does any other streamer offer something close to the Sling Select plan? We’ll compare it to genre-based channel plans from DIRECTV and YouTube TV, to fellow skinny channel bundle Philo, and to the Fox One direct-to-consumer service below!
Sling Select versus The Competition:
What is Sling Select?
Sling Select is one of two Sling packages that starts at $20 per month, the other being Sling Essentials. The Select package plucks some of the highest-profile channels from Sling’s Blue plan, including FS1, NFL Network, and Fox News. It even includes local broadcast channels ABC, Fox, and NBC in markets where Sling distributes those channels, though an extra fee of up to $10 per month is assessed for receiving those channels.
What channels come in Sling Select?
Sling Select offers some news, sports, and entertainment options, including the following channels:
- ABC (in some markets)
- Fox (in some markets)
- NBC (in some markets)
- Fox News
- National Geographic
- Grit
- NFL Network
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See the markets in which Sling offers local channels in the table below:
| Market | Fox Station | NBC Station | ABC Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | WAGA | ||
| Austin | KTBC | ||
| Boston | WBTS | ||
| Chicago | WFLD | WMAQ | WLS |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | KDFW | KXAS | |
| Detroit | WJBK | ||
| Fresno | KFSN | ||
| Gainesville | WOGX | ||
| Hartford/New Haven | WVIT | ||
| Houston | KRIV | KTRK | |
| Los Angeles | KTTV | KNBC | KABC |
| Miami/Fort Lauderdale | WTVJ | ||
| Milwaukee | WITI | ||
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | KMSP | ||
| New York | WNYW | WNBC | WABC |
| Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne | WOFL | ||
| Philadelphia | WTXF | WCAU | WPVI |
| Phoenix | KSAZ | ||
| Raleigh-Durham | WTVD | ||
| San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose | KTVU | KNTV | KGO |
| San Diego | KNSD | ||
| Seattle | KCPQ | ||
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | WTVT | ||
| Washington, DC | WTTG | WRC |
What features does Sling Select offer?
Sling Select subscribers can watch up to three streams at a time per household and can enjoy 50 hours of Cloud DVR at no additional cost. Viewers can watch on 20+ different devices and add premium streaming services like HBO Max and STARZ for an additional fee.
How does Sling Select compare with DIRECTV?
The closest DIRECTV package that correlates with the Sling Select package is its MySports + MyNews Genre Pack bundle. For $80 per month, viewers can watch live sports on ESPN channels, FS1, NFL Network, and more. It also has live news channels like Fox News, as well as local broadcast channels.
The MySports + MyNews package has all the same sports and news networks as Sling Select, but it also carries many more choices. With ESPN channels, TNT Sports, NBA TV, NHL Network, CNN, MS NOW, and more, the plan outdistances Sling Select’s channel count in every way. It’s also four times the base price of the Sling Select package, so plan your purchase accordingly.
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
How does Sling Select compare with Fox One?
Fox One is a direct-to-consumer service that allows viewers to watch programming from their local Fox station, FS1, and Fox News live without a pay-TV subscription. Sling Select also offers Fox channels and, like Fox One, has a starting price of $20 per month.
That’s essentially where the similarities end, however. Fox One only offers content from Fox-owned channels, whereas Sling Select has a little more programming variety. If you’re only looking for Fox content, Fox One is a good choice, but if you want more, Sling Select is definitely the way to go.
Fox One
Launched August 21, 2025, Fox One is a direct-to-consumer streaming service from Fox Corporation. Billed as a “major digital initiative,” Fox One brings together the full range of Fox’s leading news, sports, and entertainment brands, offering live and on-demand access in one unified platform.
How does Sling Select compare with Fubo?
Fubo offers a smaller-sized channel package called Fubo Sports that includes ABC, Fox, NBC, FS1, and Fox News alongside sports, broadcast, and news channels from other programmers. It’s a little more like the DIRECTV MySports + MyNews bundle than it is like the Sling Select package, but it bears mentioning nonetheless.
Fubo Sports costs $65 per month, far more than Sling Select’s starting price. Your choice here will depend on the level of access to sports and broadcast channels you want and the price you’re willing to pay, but in many of America’s largest TV markets, you can get some of the best channels from Fubo Sports in Sling Select for a third of the price.
Fubo
Fubo is a live TV streaming service offering a robust lineup of approximately 150 premier channels, with plans starting at $63.99 per month. This entry-level package provides access to local broadcast affiliates 18 of the leading 35 cable channels channels, and valuable regional sports networks (RSNs).
How does Sling Select compare with Philo?
Philo has a starting price that’s similar to Sling Select’s — $25 per month for its Essential plan. But Philo is much more focused on cable entertainment networks, and while it includes options like AMC, Discovery, Hallmark Channel, and Lifetime, it doesn’t have any sports or cable news channels like Sling Select.
You won’t find sports channels like FS1 or NFL Network in the Philo plan as you will with Sling Select, nor does it have local broadcast channels. It’s purely focused on cable entertainment networks, though it does also offer on-demand entertainment from AMC+, discovery+, and HBO Max in the Bundle+ plan.
Philo
Philo is a live TV streaming service designed for entertainment lovers, offering flexible ways to watch without the high price of traditional TV bundles. The service now features two paid plans — Essential and Bundle+ — alongside its existing free streaming offering, giving customers a range of options depending on how much live and premium content they want.
How does Sling Select compare with YouTube TV?
Like DIRECTV, YouTube TV offers a bundled Sports + News Genre Plan with local channels, ESPN, TNT, Fox Sports channels, and cable news networks like CNN, Fox News, and MS NOW. The sports and news channels from Sling Select are also found in YouTube TV’s Sports + News package, but it also includes a lot of options that aren’t in Sling Select, like CBS, ESPN, Turner Sports channels, and a lot more.
There is a definite cost trade-off if you pick the YouTube TV Sports + News package. It costs $72 per month, way more than the $20 per month the Sling Select plan charges. It’s another get-more, pay-way-more scenario, so you’ll have to decide what kind of access you need for your money.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $82.99/month. This plan includes local channels 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The base plan includes more than 100 live channels, including major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as popular cable channels such as ESPN, CNN, FX, USA Network, and TNT. Local channels are included in most markets, making YouTube TV a full replacement for traditional cable for many viewers.
Why choose Sling Select?
Sling Select is a fantastic way to watch NFL international games on NFL Network, college football games on FS1, live news updates from Fox News, entertainment from Heroes and Icons and Game Show Network, educational programming from Nat Geo, and even local news and sports from ABC, Fox, and NBC in select markets.
At a starting price of just $20 per month, Sling Select’s cost is hard to beat in the marketplace. Viewers who want a sampling of cable sports and news without having to pay an arm and a leg for it will love Sling Select, and we can heartily recommend it for anyone who is tired of looking at their pay-TV bill every month and wincing.
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.